Singer Frances Tan swapped law for music, now represents Singapore in Commonwealth Song Contest finals

At 25, Frances Tan Si Min has already lived two very different lives. The Singaporean singer-songwriter graduated with a law degree from the London School of Economics and Political Science, interned at top local firms, then walked away from it all to pursue her dream of making music.

Now, her original song Just Me is one of seven finalists at the ongoing Commonwealth Song Contest 2026, up against entries from Australia, India, Nigeria, United Kingdom, Saint Lucia and South Africa. Public voting closes on Sunday (May 31).

The pivot to music wasn’t random. Tan wrote her first song at 13, too afraid to tell anyone about her secret love for the craft. "Growing up, I always loved music and dreamed of pursuing it one day," Tan told CNA Lifestyle.

Awestruck from her first-ever concert at 11 – Justin Bieber’s My World 2.0 concert at the Singapore Indoor Stadium – Tan told her parents she wanted to pursue music, only to be laughed at as they said, “music should only ever be a hobby”. Embarrassed, she silenced her dream, vowed to "never bring this up to anyone ever again" and went on to law school.

"In my last year of law school, as I reflected on what I wanted to do after graduation, I realised that the little voice inside me, which I had ignored for 10 years, never went away," she said. "For the first time, I wondered: what if it is not a figment of my imagination, but actually a part of me?"

The realisation led her to New York University (NYU) where she completed a master’s in songwriting last year. The beginning of this journey led to the birth of Just Me. "I was so excited at the thought of living alone in [New York City] in my early twenties, finally pursuing music, which I had dreamed about my whole life, that a melody and lyric popped into my head while daydreaming," Tan says. "I ended up writing this song in one sitting."

It went on to win the UK Songwriting Contest's singer-songwriter category in 2024, before landing her a spot in the Commonwealth Song Contest finals.

The contest was open to 2.5 billion people across 56 Commonwealth nations. “To be chosen as one of the seven Grand Finalists this year, representing Singapore against six other countries on the global stage, is truly such an honour,” Tan said.

After public voting ends, another round of judging by 10,000 music industry professionals will follow.

Tan also found popularity with Ride Into The Sun, a tribute song she wrote last year for the 10th anniversary of the passing of the late Lee Kuan Yew as part of the SG60 celebrations. She performed it at over 30 shows locally and overseas in Taiwan and San Francisco. The song’s music video was screened at schools, Shaw Theatres, Our Tampines Hub and played on local radio stations including 987FM. It also earned her the SG100 Foundation's BOLD Award and a role as its youth ambassador.

More recently, Tan has been visiting primary schools across Singapore to speak at Character and Citizenship Education programmes. She also wrote her first book Discover Your Passion, which details her own career journey, stories behind her music and reflection prompts.

Coinciding with the final day of voting on May 31, Tan will be holding a free launch concert at the Jubilee Garden Restaurant at Toa Payoh SAFRA, where she will debut her first-ever album I Am Frances.

Complete with a live band, string quartet and Chinese buffet dinner, Tan wrote in her Instagram post that she will share her album live before its official release on Jun 1 at midnight on all streaming platforms. 

Doors open at 6pm and the show begins at 6.30pm. Copies of Discover Your Passion, physical CDs and merchandise will be available for purchase for the first time.

Voting for Singapore’s Frances Tan can be done on the Commonwealth Song Contest website. Voting closes on May 31.